John Schulman, a co-founder of OpenAI, has transitioned to Anthropic, an AI startup and competitor, to further his work on AI alignment. This move comes alongside OpenAI president Greg Brockman’s announcement of an extended leave for rest, and the earlier departure of product manager Peter Deng. Schulman’s decision is driven by a desire for deeper engagement in hands-on technical work and AI safety, a field he has significantly contributed to at OpenAI, especially in leading the development of ChatGPT and heading the alignment science efforts. Despite OpenAI facing scrutiny over its AI safety research approach, Schulman’s departure is not due to a lack of support within the company but a personal choice to focus his career differently. His move leaves only three of the original eleven founders at OpenAI, marking a significant shift in the company’s foundational team. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman expressed gratitude towards Schulman’s contributions, highlighting his role in research and product development.
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